War of Steam and Hate
by Anawey
Summary: What if it were the Water tribes that had started the war? What if they were the evil ones? What if Ozai actually cared about his family, and Hakoda didn’t, and Zuko and Azula were the best of friends? Think about it. The waterbenders would have the a
1. Chapter 1

War of Steam and Hate

What if it were the Water tribes that had started the war? What if they were the evil ones? What if Ozai actually cared about his family, and Hakoda didn't? What if Zuko and Azula were best friends? Think about it. The waterbenders would have the advantage, wouldn't they? They could put out fire, turn earth to mud, and air to steam. Who could stand against such power? 

Disclaimer; As I've said many, many times; I don't own Avatar.

Farewell

XxX

_**Water.**_

_**Earth.**_

_**Fire.**_

_**Air.**_

_**My grandfather used to tell us stories of long ago, when the Avatar kept peace between the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Air Nomads and Water Tribes. But those days are gone, now. The waterbenders have seen to that. It's been 100 years since there was peace in this world, and now the air nomads are gone. All of them. Air can't stop a dagger of ice. It was just before that that the Avatar disappeared. Because of what happened to the airbenders, everyone says the cycle is broken. Even Azula doesn't think there's any chance for another avatar. But I don't believe it. I think that somehow, someway, the avatar will return and save us from the waterbenders.**_

_-_

_-_

_At the port city just outside the Fire Nation's capital…_

Ozai hugged his children tight. 

"I'll come back," he promised. "Azula," he muttered, smiling at his daughter, "take care of yourself, sweetheart. Keep your brother from doing anything rash," he added jokingly. "And Zuko –" he turned then to his son, a proud smile on his face – "I'm counting on you to protect our family, my son. Here. You may need these." Ozai pulled a pair of dao swords from his bag, handing them to his ten_-_year-old son. Zuko's and Azula's eyes were filled with tears, and, in a strange way that the eight year old Azula couldn't explain, she was glad she hadn't gotten anything from her father at this moment. Him being without a spare pair of broad swords was bad enough. He needed whatever else he had in his bag.

Seeing the tears in his children's eyes, he hugged them both again. "I'll miss you both," he whispered.

"Dad," Zuko sobbed, "why do you have to go? We need you _here."_

"Please stay, Dad," Azula begged, crying into her father's shoulder.

"You know I can't, kids," Ozai said sadly. "I love you both. And I promise, I'll come home again. Until then, I'm counting on you guys to be strong and protect your mom and uncle, okay?" Zuko and Azula nodded sullenly, their heads hung. Ozai stepped away to embrace his wife. He kissed her tenderly, and brushed the tears from her face.

"You know I'll be alright," he said softly, love filling his voice. It was hard – extremely hard – to leave his family. He wrapped his arms tight around Ursa, and she buried her face in her husband's shoulder, taking in his smell — it was sweet, and spicy – never wanting to forget her beloved husband.

"Take care of yourself, little brother," Iroh said, hugging Ozai, who returned the embrace.

"I will," Ozai replied. "Take care of them, Brother." The two parted, and Ozai hefted his bag up, over his shoulder, and boarded the ship. At the top of the gangplank, he looked back, and raised his hand in farewell. Zuko and Azula both tried to bolt forward, but Ursa grabbed them both, and they turned, sobbing against their mother's shoulders. Ursa looked up, and watched as Ozai disappeared, a single tear trailing down her own cheek.

"Good-bye, my love," she whispered. "May we meet again."

XxX

So that's the first chapter. You guys like? Review please.


	2. The Boy on the Beach

Hi guys. Here's the next chapter for you all.

The Boy on the Beach

XxX

_Three years after Ozai's departure..._

"Mom, 'Zula and I are going to the beach!" Zuko called over his shoulder.

"Be careful sweetheart," Ursa called back. "And take care of your sister!"

Zuko smiled, rolling his eyes. "Of course, Mom."

At the beach, the siblings met up with Mai and Ty Lee.

"So!" Ty Lee chirped happily. "Who wants to go _swimming_?"

"Thanks, but no," Mai replied, bored.

"Come on Zuzu!" Azula exclaimed, tugging on her brother's wrist. "We haven't been here in _years_. Let's explore. I bet you Lo and Li will have some sort of treat for us!"

Zuko smiled, and shrugged at Ty Lee and Mai. "You guys can come, too, if you want," he called as Azula led him away.

"I'm good here," Mai mumbled.

"I'll stay and keep Mai company," Ty Lee offered.

-

-

"Just over one more hill, Zuko, then we'll go back. I promise," Azula stated, climbing one more sand dune.

"Azula," Zuko groaned, "we really should be getting back now. We've been gone for over an hour."

"And how can you tell that, Zuzu?" Azula asked, almost sarcasticly.

"The position of the sun, Azula," Zuko explained. "It was in front of us when we set out, now it's behind us, and the sky's darker."

Azula shrugged off her brother's concern, and continued on.

Zuko sighed, and was about to follow her when he heard her shout. He ran as fast as he could up to his sister, fear pounding in his mind.

"What? What is it? What's the matter?"

"Look," Azula said, pointing. A boy was lying on the sand, on his side. A giant creature was beside him.

Before Zuko could do anything to stop her, Azula was sliding down the other side of the dune, toward the boy and the ... _thing_... that sat beside him.

"AZULA!!" he cried, reaching after her. She turned. "What do you think you're doing? Get back up here, now! Mom'll have a fit if anything happens to you, and you know it!"

"But, he looks hurt, Zuzu," Azula returned, and with that, she turned and slid down the rest of the hill. Zuko groaned, rolled his eyes, and followed her.

Azula was halfway to the boy and the giant fluffy thing by the time Zuko made it to the bottom of the sandy hill. The area they were now in was like a shallow pit, dunes rising above on three sides, the open ocean on the other. Zuko started when the creature roared at his little sister.

"Azula, get back!" he yelled, taking a step toward her. The thing roared again, but Azula didn't flinch. She made straight for the boy, going slow, and talking gently to the great creature.

"Easy, giant beaver thing," she whispered. "Is he your friend?" she pointed at the boy. "I just want to help. We aren't going to hurt him."

"Or you," Zuko added, coming up beside Azula. Slowly, carefully, he reached out, and touched the beast's nose with just the tips of his fingers. The thing groaned, deep in its throat, and Zuko flinched inwardly, suddenly nervous.

"Appa?"

The voice was faint, but it drew the attention of both siblings, and they knelt, one on either side of the boy.

"Who are you guys?" the boy asked, looking up confusedly at the siblings. Realization seemed to dawn suddenly on him. "Kuzon? What am I doing in the Fire Nation?"

Zuko and Azula exchanged looks.

"I'm Zuko," Zuko told him. "I don't know if we're talking about the same person, but I had a great-uncle named Kuzon."

"Oh," the boy muttered, his face falling slightly. "You look just like him." His expression picked back up. "I'm Aang. What's your name?" he asked the girl.

"I'm Azula, Zuko's sister," Azula replied.

"You guys wanna find some wild mongoos dragons?" Aang asked eagerly, his face alive and animated. "They're the greatest to ride!"

Azula's eyes widened and filled with a wild light that scared Zuko. "But," he asked, wary, "aren't they dangerous wild? It's so hard to tame them, how do you expect someone to ride a wild one?"

"That's what makes it fun!" Aang replied, airbending himself up. Azula and Zuko gasped, Zuko in realization that this boy either had a death wish, or was crazy, and Azula in excitement. She always did like doing dangerous things. That was what scared Zuko the most; Azula's love of living on the edge.

"Maybe some other time," Zuko muttered nervously. "Come on, we should get back, it's getting dark."

Back at their beach house, Zuko, Azula, and Aang were greeted by Ursa and Iroh, who both smiled fondly.

"Zuko, Azula, would you mind introducing your friend?" Ursa prompted gently.

"This is Aang, Momma! Aang, this is our mom, Ursa, and our uncle, Iroh." Azula chirrped, smiling innocently. "Aang's an _airbender._"

Ursa and Iroh exchanged looks.

"Tell me, Aang," Iroh said slowly. "Where do you live?"

"The Western Air Temple," the boy replied. Turning to Zuko and Azula, he added; "It's not that far from here. If you want, I could take you there."

"But, the Air temples were destroyed," Zuko whispered, starting to realize that something was not quite right about the boy. "And the air nomads were all whiped out. A hundred years ago."

"Are yout the Avatar?" Azula cut in.

"Azula!" Ursa scolded. "That would be personal, and Aang doesn't have to answer that."

"Actually, I _am _the avatar." Aang muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"I suggest we disscuss this further tommorrow morning over tea," Iroh said sweetly.

"I agree," Ursa put in. "Off to bed, children. Avatar Aang, you may sleep anywhere you wish. Our home is yours."

Aang bowed.

"Thank you. And good night everyone. I'll be outside with Appa." With a wave and a smile, he turned and left out the door.

"'Appa'?" Ursa glanced nervously at her children.

"A giant flying bison, Mom," Zuko muttered.

XxX

That's the chapter. Hope you liked it. Review please.


	3. Conversation

Hey everyone, here's the next chapter. Hope you all like it.

Conversation

XxX

"Zuko, are you awake?"

A tired groan.

"Unfortunately, yes."

An annoyed growl.

"Zuzu hasn't been able to sleep since Dad went away."

"Hey, can I help it if I got more of Mom's genes than you did?" the prince snapped back. "I'm just worried, that's all. After what the waterbenders did to Lu-ten --"

"Stop, Zuko," Azula said, her voice hard and sharp. "You know no-one in this family ever mentions that. I see no reason to start now."

"Who's Lu-ten?" Aang asked.

"He was our cousin," Azula grumbled, clearly not in the mood to say anything else about it.

"Oh," Aang whispered. He'd come in later that night, after checking on Appa, and Zuko and Azula had offered to share their room with the young Avatar. "Did he die?"

The look Azula gave him was more than enough of an answer.

"I _hate _waterbenders," she growled, her voice a little thicker than normal.

"Wait, what's wrong with waterbenders?" Aang asked, thoroughly confused.

"They started this whole war!" Azula snapped. "They killed Granpa, Lu-ten, _and _Aunt Akazi, not to mention every airbender _but _you!"

"What war?" Aang asked. "I don't remember there being any war."

"How long were you at sea?" Zuko asked, looking at Aang with dawning comprehension.

"A few days, maybe," the boy replied.

"I think it might have been a hundred years," Zuko told him.

"That's not possible," Aang muttered.

"You're the Avatar," Azula huffed. "With you, there's no _knowing _what's possible or not. Now if you two are done keeping me up, I'm going to try to go back to sleep. Good night."

Aang looked at Zuko. "Is she always this grumpy?" he asked in a whisper.

"Only when she doesn't get enough sleep."

"So," the Avatar continued, "If you're Kuzon's great nephew -- the Fire Lord Azulon's little brother, right? -- then you'd be the crown prince. So, where's your dad?"

"Fighting the waterbenders," Zuko replied. "He should be home with us, but he's the Fire Lord. He _has _to lead the troups."

"Oh. Well, what about your uncle?" Aang suggested. "Couldn't he be Fire Lord?"

"He would have been," Zuko replied. "If he hadn't lost his wife, and Lu-ten."

Aang's eyes went wide. "Oh, I'm sorry," he whispered.

Zuko shrugged. "It was years ago," he said simply, turning over. "G'night."

"Night," Aang sighed, turning over to sleep.

XxX

That's it for this chapter. More on the way. Review, please.


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